Gonzalo Higuain flew into London on Wednesday morning to finally complete his move to Chelsea.

Chelsea finalised a deal with Juventus a week ago but have had to wait while AC Milan, where the striker has spent the first half of the season on loan, found a replacement.

AC Milan agreed a £31million deal with Genoa for Krzysztof Piatek last night and so Higuain has been given permission to travel to the capital. He left on a flight from Milan at 8 a.m. GMT.

It also means that Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata will be able to secure his switch on an initial loan to Atletico Madrid, although the La Liga club still need to offload Nikola Kalinic or Gelson Martins in order to comply with Financial Fair Play.

Personal terms have already been discussed with Chelsea and Higuain. He now just needs to pass a medical, but it is expected the deal will be completed today.

Chelsea have until 12 p.m. on Wednesday to register the 31-year-old in order for him to be eligible to face Tottenham in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham on Thursday night.

AC Milan team-mates Pepe Reina and Lucas Biglia confirmed they have said their goodbyes to the Argentina international.

Reina said: “I said goodbye to Higuain with an embrace, it’s always a bitter moment. I wished him all the best and gave him a hug. Unfortunately, this too is football. I am losing a teammate but retain a great friend.”

Biglia added: “There is a bitter feeling when saying goodbye, as Pipita is a friend. Another player will arrive, one who can hopefully become a great centre-forward. We want to continue doing well.”

Higuain’s arrival will be a major boost to coach Maurizio Sarri, who has seen his side score just 13 League goals in as many matches.

Sarri is under pressure at Stamford Bridge having lost four of the club’s last nine League games and they are now just three points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United in fourth place.

Higuain has found the net just eight times for AC Milan this term but is looking forward to playing under Sarri again.

He enjoyed the best season of his career under Sarri at Napoli in 2015-16, scoring an impressive 38 goals.